Assessment Criteria

Every report is read four times by an examiner and each time, it will be marked on one of the following
criteria:
 Task Achievement (TA)
 Coherence and Cohesion (CC)
 Lexical Resource (LR)
 Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA)

Task Achievement (TA)

This criterion assesses how appropriately, accurately and relevantly the response fulfils the requirements set
out in the task, using the minimum of 150 words.
Academic Writing Task 1 is a writing task which has a defined input and a largely predictable output. It is
basically an information-transfer task which relates narrowly to the factual content of the input data or
diagram and NOT to speculated explanations that lie outside the provided diagram or data.
The examiner has the following questions in mind when assessing this aspect of your report:
1. Have you summarised the information appropriately by selecting and properly reporting the main
features?
2. Have you made comparisons properly and sufficiently?
3. Have you provided overviews of the main trends/comparisons/stages?
4. Have you written a clear overview or summary for the report?

Coherence and Cohesion (CC)

This criterion is concerned with the overall clarity and fluency of the message: how the response organises
and links information, ideas and language. Coherence refers to the linking of ideas through logical
sequencing. Cohesion refers to the varied and appropriate use of cohesive devices (for example, logical
connectors, pronouns and conjunctions) to assist in making the conceptual and referential relationships
between and within sentences clear.
The examiner has the following questions in mind when assessing this aspect of your report:
5. Have you organised your information logically?
6. Is there an overall flow or progression in your report?
7. Have you used linkers correctly, properly and sufficiently?
8. Have pronouns been used correctly and do they have clear references?
9. Have you organised the text in paragraphs logically and sufficiently?
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Lexical Resource (LR)
This criterion refers to the range of vocabulary the candidate has used and the accuracy and appropriacy of
that use in terms of the specific task.

The examiner takes the following points into account when assessing this aspect of your report:
1. Words
a. Range and flexibility
b. Level
c. Precision
d. Style
e. Collocation
2. Vocabulary mistakes
a. Spelling
b. Word choice
c. Word formation

Grammatical Range and Accuracy (GRA)

This criterion refers to the range and accurate use of the candidate’s grammatical resource as
manifested in the candidate’s writing at the sentence level.
The examiner has the following questions in mind when assessing this aspect of your report:
1. Have you used a variety of sentence structures?
2. How often have you used compound structures?
3. Mistakes
a. Grammar
b. Punctuation
Note: when evaluating mistakes, the effect each has on the reader and the intelligibility of your
report is taken into account.